CSUN Hoopsters … Back Home … Finally !!!

Jan 06, 2014

By Bob Vazquez, Assistant Athletics Director, Strategic Communications
Northridge, Calif. – That tired, muffled roar you may have heard was the sound of the Cal State Northridge men's basketball team that finally arrived home on Monday morning following a 10-day, six city, six hotel, two game excursion that lasted longer than expected because of the massive snow storm and arctic temperatures that have cancelled more than 6,000 flights and delayed thousand more flights, according to CNN.

The original Matador itinerary called for games at Stephen F. Austin University (Dec. 30, Nacogdoches, Tx) followed by a game at the University of South Dakota (Jan. 2 in Vermillion) over a seven-day period.

The Monday morning 5:30 am wakeup call was followed by a quick breakfast, and the day's first outdoor adventure to pack luggage and board the bus back to the Denver Airport.

The team was greeted by -6 degree temperature, and a -24 degree wind chill factor.

Denver is a beautiful, upscale, cosmopolitan city, but …

The team departed the Midwest before another storm of bitterly cold weather began sweeping across the nation. The hostile weather was going to bring more snow, ice and frigid conditions.

The plane that carried the team from Denver to Los Angeles was packed with passengers and luggage bursting the airliner at its seams, but nobody was complaining. Everybody was finally getting home.

A nearby passenger wished everybody a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The Matador team arrived at LAX at 9:20 am.

"Sunshine, L.A. traffic … I Love L.A." said one CSUN staffer.

The team's day was just beginning. Practice was scheduled for 2:00 p.m. The team needs to prepare for Thursday's Big West Conference home opener against UC Davis.

Despite the fact the basketball team was exhausted and nearly out of clothes, the experience has been an educational one that will be talked about for years.

Homeward Bound, Home Cooking, Home Sweet Home … Welcome home Matadors !!